United States Air Force General. The son of Army General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr., he followed his father's footsteps, spending his career in the armed forces. He survived discrimination to graduate from West Point, then completed the first training program for African-American pilots in 1942. Despite attempts to downplay the contributions of African-American pilots during World War II, he successfully commanded the effective African-American 332nd Fighter Group. After the war, he fought to end segregation in the army, and later became the first African-American Brigadier General in the Air Force and the first African-American Lieutenant General in any branch. After retiring from the military in 1970, he served as assistant secretary at the Department of Transportation, championing the 55-mph speed limit. He published his autobiography in 1991, and died in 2002. (bio by: Curtis Jackson)